The present invention relates to a magazine catch for a pistol and particularly relates to a right or left operated magazine catch for a pistol so that the magazine can be removed without the individual using the pistol removing the pistol from the shooting hand.
In most pistols, the magazine is blocked and unblocked relative to a cavity within the handle of the pistol by a magazine catch. Such catches are conventionally slidable transversely of the pistol handle to engage and retain the magazine within the cavity. Thus, to release the magazine from the handle, the catch is shifted transversely to disengage from the magazine slot enabling the magazine to be ejected or withdrawn from the cavity of the handle. Most such catches operate unidirectionally. That is, the catch is operated from one side of the pistol to release the magazine. It cannot be operated to release the magazine from the other side of the pistol. This arrangement is satisfactory, for example, for a right handed shooter where the push button for operating the catch is located on the left side of the pistol. Thus, the magazine may be replaced without removing the pistol from the individuals' shooting hand. However, for a left handed shooter using the same pistol, the push button of the left side of the pistol is not conveniently located for operation of the catch by the left shooting hand. The converse is also true. That is, a right handed shooter cannot conveniently utilize a pistol with the push button operated from the right side of the pistol. While pistols may be manufactured with discrete catches on the right or left side of the pistol for operation by left and right handed shooters, respectively, convenient use of the pistol is thus limited dependent on whether the shooter is right or left handed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,337, there is disclosed a sliding magazine catch for a pistol wherein the catch for latching the magazine in the pistol handle is reversible. That is, the catch can be assembled in the pistol for a right handed shooter, with the catch push button located on the left side of the pistol, or for a left handed shooter, with the catch push button located on the right side of the pistol. Thus, the pistol disclosed in that patent can be utilized by either a right of left handed shooter by assembling the catch for operation from the appropriate side of the pistol dependent on whether the shooter is right or left handed. However, the catch mechanism disclosed in that patent requires substantial manipulation of the catch for both assembly and disassembly thereof relative to the frame of the pistol. Moreover, such catch is somewhat mechanically complex and appears relatively expensive to manufacture. Thus, there has arisen a need for a catch for blocking and unblocking a magazine relative to a pistol which can be readily and easily assembled and disassembled for operation from one or the other sides of the pistol and without substantial manipulation thereof.